Charmed Reborn--Episode 3, Season 1: Charged
by Acen Warren Halliwell
Summary: Penelope and Annie get their first charges, but things get complicated when a P.I. gets on their trail; Melinda runs into Rich, who tries to reconcile; Penelope refuses to accept what she is; Lacey's relationship with Joshua is getting rocky.
1. Chapter 1

Character List:

Annie Halliwell- Phoebe Tonkin

Penelope Halliwell- Lucy Hale

Lacey Halliwell- Daisy Ridley

Chris Halliwell- Drew Fuller

Melinda Halliwell- Katie Holmes

* * *

[Setting: Baker High School, Cafeteria; November 14, 2045. 1:35. Annie, Lacey, and Penelope sit down at the lunch table with a couple other people, one of which is Joshua.]

Joshua: It was the last few seconds of the game and I was trapped, no-one thought I was gonna make it.

Lacey: (clinging onto his arm) I did.

Joshua: (Looks at Lacey.) Yeah Lace, you did… (spontaneously faces the others) so there I was, cornered with the shot clock winding down. I did a fake, spun around and went for the three; buzzer beater on the outside corner, we smoked 'em.

Jenny: (rolling her eyes, amused) Yeah, just barely.

Joshua: Whatever, I made that shot.

(Lacey smiles slightly and looks over to Annie and Penelope, who are covering their ears. Lacey taps them.)

Lacey: Guys, what's wrong?

Penelope: My ears keep ringing with this stupid chime, it's been going on all day and it's driving me crazy!

(Lacey turns to Annie.)

Annie: She practically said the whole story.

Lacey: Can you guys hold out till the end of the day, so mom and Chris can help us figure this out?

Penelope: I'll try. (The chime in her ears gets louder.) Alright, I can't wait, let's go.

Lacey: Okay. (Lacey stands up from the table.)

Joshua: Hey Lace, where you going?

Lacey: Sorry, just gotta take Penny and Annie home, something's wrong, but I don't know what. Gotta go, see ya. (Lacey gives Joshua a peck on the cheek and walks out of the cafeteria with Penelope and Annie. They go in the bathroom and Lacey black orbs them out.)


	2. Chapter 2

[Setting: Halliwell Manor. Lacey, Penelope and Annie walk through the front door. Annie and Penelope are jamming their ears trying to get rid of _The Jingle_, but nothing's working.]

Lacey: Mom, Chris, can you get down here?

(Chris orbs in, while Melinda walks down the stairs.)

Melinda: What's wrong?

(The doorbell rings.)

Lacey: I'll get it.

[Cut to Lacey opening the door. She smiles as she sees Joshua.]

Lacey: Hey Josh.

Joshua: Hey Lacey. Is everything okay with us?

Lacey: Yeah. Why wouldn't they be?

Joshua: Well, it's just that… since that attack at school a month ago, you've been blowing me off and I just wanted to know what was up.

Lacey: Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it, we're completely fine. Tell you what, how about Saturday, we go out to the movies, just me and you? (Joshua opens his mouth to answer, but Lacey's already closing the door.) Alright? Okay, see ya later.

(Lacey closes the door and the others look at her.)

Annie: You've gotta learn how to be more natural when hiding our secret, you were acting really suspicious there.

Lacey: Well I'm sure he doesn't suspect anything about us.

Annie: Please, he'd be a fool not to.

Lacey: Yeah, okay.

(_The Jingle _gets louder, causing Penelope and Annie to plug their ears even more.)

Melinda: Guys, what's wrong?

Annie: My ears are ringing like crazy and no matter how hard I try, I can't get rid of it.

Penelope: Yeah, it's like this annoying little… little-.

Woman: (O.S.) Jingle?

(Penelope, Lacey and Annie turn around to see two women standing at the front door.)

Penelope: Who are you?

Woman # 1: My name's Kama…

Woman # 2: And I'm Emily.

Annie: What are you doing here?

Emily: We're here for the newest Whitelighter…

Kama: …And Cupid.

Annie: Whitelighter?

Penelope: (at the same time as Annie) Cupid?

Annie: So I'm going to be a Whitelighter and get my own charge?

Penelope: I can't believe this.

Emily: Yup.

Penelope: I'm actually gonna get to control love.

Annie: This is so cool!

Penelope: This is so not what I want.

Kama: What?

Penelope: I don't want to be a Cupid.

Kama: You don't want to be a Cupid?

Annie: Penny, what are you saying?

Penelope: Exactly that, I don't want to be a Cupid; people should be able to find love on their own and no one should interfere with it.

Chris: Wait, Penny, that's not what Cupids-.

Kama: No Chris, leave her be. (Chris closes his mouth and Kama gestures for Penelope to continue.)

Penelope: Love should be something that happens on its own and if anyone gets in the way of it, that's like saying it isn't real or it isn't meant to be. I don't want to be a Cupid… I'm outta here.

(Penelope beams out.)


	3. Chapter 3

(Emily and the others give Kama a look.)

Kama: Relax you guys, she needs to sort things out, she's just confused. She'll be back and talk to her then, but don't force a decision on her; she needs to feel like she at least gets a say in the matter and that's what you're gonna do.

Emily: (to Annie) Until then, we need to get you a charge.

Annie: How do we do that? (Annie hears a voice in her head.)

Annie: (swiveling around) Who said that?

Emily: Your charge, they're calling for you.

Annie: So how can I find her, she could be anywhere?

Emily: Just focus on the voice; try to visualize her face and orb there.

(Annie closes her eyes and concentrates. In her mind's eye, she sees a girl in a black dress surrounded by a circle of demons. She blows a gust of wind at them, while stepping back and falls to the ground. Annie opens her eyes.)

Annie: I see her. (She suddenly orbs out.)

[Setting: An alleyway in San Francisco. Annie lands and looks to the right, where she sees her charge create a ball of wind and throw it at a group of demons, blowing them all apart. She's looks tired and drops to her knees after the attack, the fatigue setting in.]

Annie: Oh no. (She picks up a steel pipe and hurls it at a demon. It hits him in the face and he falls to the ground. All the demons turn in her direction and she charges forward. She front flips over them and kicks two of them in the back, sending them into two other demons and all of them into a couple wooden crates. She extends her hand to the girl.)

Annie: Are you okay?

Girl: Yeah, I'm fine. (She accepts Annie's hand and stands.) Who are you?

Annie: My name's Annie Halliwell and I'm your Whitelighter. Who are you?

(The demons crowd around the two and they assume a fighting stance. The girl takes out a fan.)

Girl: I'll tell you what my name is later, but for now, we have demons to fight.

Annie: And the fans?

Girl: You're about to find out.

(The girl waves the fan towards the demons and a large gust of wind comes from it, blowing all of them back and several into the steel ladder hanging above.)

Annie: Whoa, impressive!

Girl: There's more where that came from, now we have demons to fight.

Annie: (Looks forward and puts on a serious face.) Then let's get down to it. (Annie and the girl charge forward.)


	4. Chapter 4

[Setting: Halliwell Manor, 7:30. Melinda's pacing around the foyer while Lacey and Chris sit at the table playing chess, TK moving their pieces.]

Melinda: Where in the world are Annie and Penelope? I mean, I know Penelope's having a hard time accepting she's a Cupid, but couldn't she at least call? Doesn't she know how worried I am?

Chris: Knight to A5. (The piece TK moves there.) Relax Melly, she's fine; if she wasn't I would've sensed it.

Melinda: Alright, but what about Annie? It doesn't take that long to deal with a charge.

Lacey: She probably just got caught up, she is dealing with a couple demons, you know. And… (Lacey TK moves her Queen down the board and captures the Knight, trapping the King in checkmate.) mate. (She sits back in her chair, triumphant, while Chris looks slightly stunned.)

Lacey: (to Melinda) But yeah, she's gonna turn up any minute now, I'm sure of it. (As if on cue, Annie and another girl are orbed into the sitting room.) See, you had nothing to worry about.

Melinda: I see you got your charge. So what's her name?

Girl: My name's Skyler Williams.

Annie: Skyler, so how did you do what you did with those fans?

Chris: What thing with what fans?

Annie: Oh she-.

Skyler: I just made a big gust of wind that threw the demons back with them.

Annie: And she did a ton of other stuff with the wind too: she created a small tornado, a ball and she literally walked on air.

Skyler: I've been using my Aerokinesis for 9 years now, so I got pretty skilled at it.

Melinda: Wait a minute, what are you?

Skyler: A windwalker.

Chris: So your only power is Aerokinesis?

Skyler: And a few more that I've learned using it, yeah.

Lacey: What's a windwalker?

Chris: It's the elemental that only has control over air.

Annie: And an elemental is…

Chris: Elementals are magical beings that have control over the four classic elements: earth, wind, air and fire.

Skyler: And I'm one of 'em.

Lacey: Let's see what you're made of. Follow me to the training hall.

(Lacey and Skyler begin walking to the back.)

Melinda: Oh, and Lacey. (Lacey turns back to face Melinda.) Don't forget to train with your Pyrokinesis and remember don't be scared or worried that anything bad'll happen, you can do it.

Skyler: You have Pyrokinesis?

Lacey: And Annie has Hydrokinesis. Now let's go.

Skyler: Gladly.

(Lacey and Skyler head to the Training Hall. The front door opens and Penelope walks in with her bag. Chris nudges Melinda and she turns to the door.)

Melinda: Hey Penny, can we talk for a sec?

Penelope: Sure mom, let's go to my room. (Melinda follows Penelope to her room and the door closes.)

[Cut inside the room, where Penelope and Melinda are sitting across from each other, Penelope in the chair and Melinda on the bed.]

Melinda: Penny, I-.

Penelope: I'm sorry. For running off earlier today. I guess I left because I wasn't ready to accept it, my position as a Cupid. (Melinda starts to say something, but stops.)

Kama: (V.O.) … don't force a decision on her; she needs to feel like she at least gets a say in the matter and that's what you're gonna do… do… do.

Melinda: (continually pausing) It's… okay, Penny. I just… want you to know that… it's your choice… if you want to be a Cupid or not. Okay?

Penelope: (hugging Melinda) Thanks mom, I knew you'd get it. (She lets go and sits back in her chair.)

Melinda: Good. And now that that's cleared up… (The book TK floats in from Penelope's open window and into Melinda's lap. She opens it up and flips to a page in the book. Penelope peeks at it.)

Penelope: Is that the Cupids entry?

Melinda: (looking up from book) Uh-huh.

Penelope: (shooting up from chair; betrayal in voice) Mom!

Melinda: What?

Penelope: I thought you said it was my choice to be a Cupid or not.

Melinda: It is, but I wanted you to learn about them, so you could make a good choice.

Penelope: My God, you're not listening! (Penelope's lamp blows up.)

Melinda: (standing up) What do you mean? I'm listening to you.

Penelope: No you're not, because if you were then you'd stop forcing this decision on me.

Melinda: I'm only doing what's best for you.

Penelope: So you know what's best for me now? It's my life and my choices! (Penelope storms out and Melinda follows.)

Melinda: (following Penelope) Uh, no it's not! So long as you live under my roof, you live under my rules; no questions asked, no exceptions! (They stop in the sitting room and stare each other down.)

Penelope: I'm outta here. (She starts to beam out.)

Melinda: (to Penelope) No you're not! (to Chris) Stop her.

(Chris quickly waves his hand and Penelope's beamed back into the same spot. She glares at Chris with hurt and betrayal written on her face. She starts for the front door, but Melinda blocks her path with a wall of orbs.)

Penelope: Out of the way!

(Lightning comes from the outlet and hits the wall, breaking it apart and sending the orbs scattering, which disappears in little blue lights. It also knocks Melinda to the ground. Penelope storms for the front door.)

[Cut to the foyer. Penelope opens the door and leaves as Joshua enters.]

Joshua: Hey Pen-.

Penelope: Not in the mood!

(Penelope storms out of the house and down the street. Joshua shrugs his shoulders and continues into the sitting room. Melinda sees him and quickly gets into a "bridge" pose, which she drops upon "noticing" the boy.)

Melinda: (standing) Hey Joshua, what are you doing here, it's late?

Joshua: Yeah, I know, but I came to see Lacey. (He tries to look further into the house and while trying to look further, says the next line.) Is she here? (Suddenly, Lacey is sent flying into the room. Skyler stops in the doorway, unseen.) Lacey?

Lacey: (Looks up and sees Joshua.) Josh?


	5. Chapter 5

(Lacey quickly stands and dusts herself off.)

Lacey: Josh, wha-what are you doing here?

Joshua: Actually, I came to see you to say that I got the tickets and ask what movie you wanted to see, but I think the better question is what in the world did I just see?

Skyler: (quietly) Uh-oh.

(Joshua notices Skyler.)

Joshua: (pointing to Skyler) Who's she and how'd she get in your house?

Lacey: Look, Josh, I can explain…

Joshua: Then start. (He crosses his arms over his chest.)

Lacey: (swallows hard) I can't do that right now, it's really complicated and-.

Joshua: Save it.

Lacey: It's gonna take a while to explain it all, (ushering Joshua to the front door) so how about I tell you tomorrow, okay? (Joshua opens his mouth to speak, but like before, Lacey's already closing the door.) Okay, bye. (The door closes and Lacey turns around, sliding down the door on her back.)

Annie: (walking up to Lacey) Well that could've gone better.

Lacey: Ya think? Now's he's definitely suspicious of us.

Melinda: Well tomorrow, you need to talk to Joshua and convince him nothing's wrong and get him **as far away from the truth as possible**. Meanwhile, I'm gonna try to find Penelope.

Lacey: Penny? What happened while I was training? What'd I miss?

Melinda: I'll tell you tomorrow, but you guys gotta get to bed. I have a feeling tomorrow's going to be a loooong day.

Skyler: (coming closer) What about me? What can I do to help; after all, this is my fault.

Melinda: (putting a hand on Skyler's shoulder) No it's not, honey, it's no one's fault. He's just gotten suspicious, but we can fix this, we just need to stay positive and take charge of the situation. (to Skyler) You can help me search for Penelope; the more, the merrier, right? I mean, unless it's alright with your parents and you don't have school or anything?

Skyler: Nope, I'm totally free and ready to help.

Melinda: Alright then, now get to bed; we have a ton of work to do tomorrow. (Lacey and Annie run to their rooms, while Skyler whirls out.

[Cut to outside the manor, where all the lights are turned off. A mysterious figure approaches a man in a brown trench coat and hat from the 1920's.]

Figure: I heard you were the best P.I. in San Francisco.

P.I.: Yes sir. What do you need?

Figure: I need you to get as much information as you can on (pulling out three pictures) these three girls and don't come back until you've discovered something major; I need to find out what they're hiding.

[Camera moves behind the P.I. to show one picture of three girls: Lacey, Penelope and Annie. He tucks the pictures in his trench coat.]

P.I.: Certainly. (He tips his hat as he says the next line.) Pleasure doing business with you Mr. Prince. (The figure's revealed to be Joshua.)


	6. Chapter 6

[Setting: Halliwell Manor, Morning. Lacey and Annie are packing their bags in the living room, when Skyler whirls in.)

Melinda: (entering) Good Skyler, you're here. (to Lacey and Annie) I need you two to get going before you're late; I already called the school and told them that Penny was sick and wouldn't be able to come in today, same for Chris' and mine's jobs. Remember: you guys talk to Joshua, while we search from Penny and we'll go from there if there's anything to go on.

Lacey: You still never told me what happened last night.

Annie: (whispering to Lacey) They had a fight.

Melinda: It wasn't a fight… it was more like a… (Thinking.) falling out.

Chris: (entering) You both used your powers on each other and I'm pretty sure hers were unintentional, but at least she's gaining control over them.

Annie: Yeah. (to Lacey) So after they used their powers on each other, Penny stormed out…

Lacey: And that's where Joshua came in the house, think I'm up to speed; now let's get going.

Annie: We're orbing in?

Lacey: Walking. Don't want to draw any more attention to ourselves.

Annie: (to Lacey) Okay. (to Melinda and Chris while exiting) See you later and good luck! (to Skyler) And don't forget to call me if you need help!

Skyler: No worries.

(The front door closes and through a pair of binoculars, you can see the girls locking the door. Across the street, the P.I.'s sitting in a 2013 black camaro. He puts down the binoculars and drives after them.)

[Setting: Baker High School, Cafeteria; 1:15. Joshua's talking to some of the cheerleaders, including Jenny and Savannah. Lacey and Annie approach them. Joshua turns to them and stands.]

Joshua: Hey Lace, (nods to Annie) Anne. (to Lacey) So are you ready to tell me about last night?

Lacey: Can we talk in private?

[Cut to outside Buddy's Diner. Melinda stops.]

Melinda: (yelling) Penelope! Penelope! Penelope, if you can hear me, just yell! (Silence.)

Voice: (O.S.) Looking for someone?

(Melinda turns around to see Rich standing there.)

Melinda: Rich?

Rich: Hey Melly.


	7. Chapter 7

Melinda: What the hell are you doing following me?! I have half a mind to call the cops on you, you son of a bitch!

Rich: Melly… (Melinda gives him an angry glare.) Melinda, just Melinda. (to himself) I'll never get used to that. (to Melinda) Melinda, will you give me one minute to talk?

Melinda: (signaling) One minute. (She crosses her arms over her chest.)

Rich: You know that it was The Source that made me do what I did, but I think I found a way to get rid of him.

Melinda: (scoffs) Please! As if a mortal could vanquish The Source of All Evil.

Rich: Okay, so maybe not vanquish, but I think I can expel him from my body.

Melinda: You actually think it's possible? (She shakes her head clear and regains her attitude.) I don't care.

Rich: It's a potion I've been working on. (He takes out a vial with a violet liquid inside.) Sure it's still in its experimental phases, but it's the best I have right now. Don't you see what this means, Melly; it could be the end of all our problems? If it works, **when** it works, I'll be free of this curse and we can be together again.

Melinda: Oh please! (staring Rich intensely in the eyes) You or not, you've caused me and my family far too much grief already; I'd never get back together with you.

Rich: (yelling) The Source forced me to kill Wyatt, dammit! Do you really think that I'd willingly kill the person that I considered to be my brother? (He takes a deep breath and looks at Melinda again.) The Source caused our relationship to suffer, but if (indicating the potion) this thing works, then I'll be free from his control and we can pick back up where we left off; don't you want that back? (Melinda doesn't answer.)

Rich: (cont.) Give me a chance Melly; at least do that. Can you please give me one more chance? (She doesn't answer, but instead turns her head to the side and shrugs her shoulders.)

Rich: (saddened) Oh, I see. Well, if you do give me a chance, then meet me at our favorite restaurant, the one by the sea, at 8; I'm going to be in the back by the window. (Rich turns to walk away, but stops and faces Melinda again. He grabs her hand and looks her deep in her eyes.) Just know that even if The Source has full control over me, he'll never control my heart because that belongs to you, Melly. Know that I really do love with my whole heart, that I always have ever since the first day that I saw you. And even if I do lose this battle, it'll be a thousand times worse if you didn't know how I truly felt about you; I love you, I'm **in love** with you Melinda Wyatt Halliwell, and that's something The Source could never take away. I guess that's it then, I've run out things to say; so see you tonight… maybe.

(He kisses her softly on the cheek and turns around walking away with his head hanging down and his hands buried deep in his pockets before flaming out. Melinda watches at the spot he was standing with guilt written all over her face, absentmindedly rubbing the spot where he kissed her.)

[Setting: Halliwell Manor, Melinda's room. Melinda's tossing clothes out of her closet and around her room. Chris is standing across from her.]

Chris: You're doing what?!

Melinda: (standing out of the closet) Meeting Rich for dinner.

Chris: Why?

Melinda: Because I felt bad for the guy; I mean, he's hit rock bottom. Now help me pick out an outfit: this one (She holds a red polka-dotted dress up to her and steps into some white flats.) that says "cute, fun-loving beach girl" or this one (She puts on a black headband and steps into some brown heels with little snowflakes at the toe. She then holds up a brown dress with a dark brown vest.) that says "formal business woman meeting an old flame?"

Chris: How about "delusional whitelighter-witch ignores her sensible brother and heads towards her imminent doom in the form of an old flame?" Melly, he's the freakin' Source of All Evil; I know you're hoping there's just a tiny bit of Rich left that you can save, but there is none and the source's essence is there, so just drop it.

Melinda: (taking off her heels) Chris, quit being so overprotective, you're not good at it. And besides, I know Rich is resisting because when he looked into my eyes and said all that stuff, I saw HIM, not The Source.

Chris: Alright, but what if The Source pops up like the day Wyatt died? (Melinda and Chris both look down, acknowledging their dead brother.)

Melinda: (whispering to self) That was the darkest day I'll ever know and I'm gonna make sure nothing like that happens EVER again. (to Chris) But that's not gonna happen because Rich is taking a potion to expel The Source from his body.

Chris: A potion? Are you sure that's gonna do the trick?

Melinda: (turning to the bed) Which outfit: (directing to the two outfits from before) this one or this one?

Chris: (pressing) Melly…

Melinda: (turning to closet) Not sure, it's still in the testing phases.

Chris: What?!

Melinda: Guess we'll find out at dinner tonight.

Chris: Guess again, I am not sending my baby sister out of this house to go on a date with someone who might kill her! I don't want to lose another family member to magic!

Melinda: Chris, I'm going to meet Rich tonight, with or without your permission.

Chris: Melinda Wyatt Halliwell, you are not leaving this house to go out with him!

Melinda: (challenging) Watch me. (She grabs the second outfit and orbs out of the room. An angry Chris orbs out after her.)

[Camera moves back through Melinda's window to reveal the P.I. in a bush listening to the conversation through a headset and recording with a camera. He takes off the headphones.]

P.I.: (standing) I knew it, they're witches! (He geo leaps out.)


	8. Chapter 8

[Setting: Somewhere in San Francisco, 3:30. Lacey's walking home from school, when she stops in front of a man, revealed to be the P.I.]

P.I.: Lacey Halliwell?

Lacey: Yes… who am I speaking with?

P.I.: (taking out a badge) My name is Detective Jasper Hill, I need to bring you in. (He takes out a set of handcuffs and puts them on her.)

Lacey: Bring me in?! What for?

Jasper: For being a witch.

Lacey: A witch? You really think-? (Lacey bursts out laughing, when the cuffs are tightened and she winces in pain.)

Jasper: Follow me, Halliwell. (They geo leap out.)

[Setting: Interrogation room. They geo leap in and Jasper throws Lacey in a chair, her hands behind the chair's back.]

Lacey: What the-?

Jasper: Like my trick? I can teleport just like you, well, not exactly like you seeing as I'm not a whitelighter-witch.

Lacey: I'm not a whitelighter-witch. I don't even know what a whitelighter is and witches: they don't exist.

Jasper: You know damn well what they are! After all, your mother and uncle are one.

Lacey: Okay, let's say that they did exist, which they don't, what would make you think I'm one too?

Jasper: Well, for one, you're Melinda Halliwell's daughter and the Warren Line is home to a number of whitelighter-witches.

Lacey: The Warren Line?

Jasper: (slamming hands on the table) Quit playing dumb! You know full and well what I'm talking about.

Lacey: I'm gonna need some proof before I commit you to the loony bin, Mr. Hill. And nothing doctored because I'll know the difference, I'm an expert at photography and recording.

Jasper: (Puts a tape in the DVR) No worries Lacey. (He presses play and Lacey sees Melinda and Chris orb out. He presses pause and turns back to the girl, who's looking shocked.) Now what was that you were saying before about not being a whitelighter-witch?

Lacey: I'm not a whitelighter-witch.

Jasper: Well, then what are you because you're clearly not mortal?

Lacey: Like you are either!

Jasper: Fair enough. Now what are you?

Lacey: I'm a darklighter-witch and you are…

Jasper: I'm a tracer; it's like a witch hunter, except wayyyy deadlier. (Lacey's face drops.)

Jasper: (yelling) Alfonso! (A guy comes in.) Please set this girl free. (Alfonso takes out a key and unlocks the handcuffs.)

Jasper: (to Lacey) I'll give you a five second head start. One… (Lacey black orbs out.)

[Cut to outside. Lacey black orbs, sprinting away from the building. She looks back and sees no one, but looks in front of her, where Jasper geo leaps in and grabs her wrists.]

Jasper: Where you going Halliwell?

(Lacey looks at Jasper's feet and squints her eyes, TK tripping him. He falls to the ground and she runs.)

Jasper: (standing) You can run, (He uses hyper speed and is automatically in front of her), but you can't hide.

Lacey: Back off! (Lacey throws a fireball at him and he dodges it, running up to her with hyper speed and grabbing her arms yet again.)

Jasper: What you gonna do now, witch?

Lacey: I'm not just a witch. (She kicks him in the leg and he buckles down, letting her slip away. She back flips off him and lands on the ground effortlessly.) I'm also a cheerleader.

Jasper: Lovely. (The two charge for each other.)

[Time Lapse. Lacey's running, looking back every couple seconds. She stops on her tiptoes, staring down the edge of the bay. She looks back and sees Jasper coming forward quickly. She continues looking back and forth between the two, trying to figure out what to do.]

Lacey: (mentally) That's better than this psychopath. (She jumps off, while black orbing, as Jasper approaches the spot she was at. He looks down the bay and doesn't see anything, signaling that Lacey escaped.)

Jasper: (yells) Dammit! (It echoes three times.)

[Cut to the Manor, where Lacey lands on her bed.]

Lacey: (relieved) Oh, thank god I escaped. (She walks into the living room, where she sees an angry Chris, Annie, and Skyler.) Hey guys, what's wrong?

Chris: Your mother went on a date with Rich.

Lacey: What?!

Annie: But he took a potion to expel The Source from him.

Skyler: Except no one knows if it worked or not.

Chris: And she's not picking up her phone.

Lacey: Well guys, I have some more bad news.

Skyler, Chris & Annie: What?

Lacey: There's a psycho tracer after us and he knows we're witches.

Annie: What a Tracer?

Lacey: It's like a witch hunter, except wayyyy deadlier. I squared off with him because he found me first and I couldn't get away. This guy is crazy insane. I think we might need the Power of Three to stop him.

Skyler: We still haven't found Penny yet.

Lacey: Well, we need to find her before this psychopath freaking kills us all!

Skyler: Lacey, just breathe.

Lacey: (Takes a deep breath, then speaks) I'm sorry guys, it's just that… that this guy is freaking crazy.

Chris: It's okay, but we need to get Melinda and Penelope and then get rid of him. Do you know what he looks like?

Lacey: I wasn't able to get a picture.

Annie: We're just gonna have to deal without and hope Lacey can spot him, now let's go. (They all teleport out in their respective ways.)


	9. Chapter 9

[Setting: Playground, 7:23. Annie and Skyler are walking through. Jasper, who's in the distance and walking towards them, smirks. Annie realizes he's watching them and turns both herself and Skyler around to start walking, when they're TK pulled back to Jasper. Annie lands on her butt, while Skyler floats herself up using Aerokinesis, making it seem like she used her legs instead. Jasper approaches them and stops.]

Jasper: Hello ladies.

Annie: (rubbing her tailbone) Who are you?

Jasper: My name's Jasper Hill.

Skyler: And you're talking to us, why?

Jasper: (to Skyler) Well, if you must know, I'm a specialist. And as a specialist, I'm going to have to bring you two magical beings in.

Skyler: Magical?

Jasper: Yes, magical. You wouldn't happen to be a magical being, would you?

Skyler: (confidently) Nope.

(Jasper looks Skyler straight in the eyes.)

Jasper: You're lying. You're a windwalker.

Annie: (to Skyler) I told you not to watch that movie! (whispering to Jasper) She actually believes that she's these magical creatures and stuff. Crazy right?

Jasper: Shut it Halliwell! (Annie shuts up.) I know all about you and the Warren Line… (smirks) after all, I did run into your sister Lacey.

Annie: Uh… (She flicks her hands and blows him back. He flies back and chuckles as he stands up.) What are you laughing at!

Jasper: (chuckling) You foolish little witch; you should've done that.

Annie: And why not?

Jasper: Because now, I can do this. (He flicks his hands towards her and orbs fly out. Skyler quickly lifts the two of them up with Aerokinesis. The attack passes by them and hits a lamppost, blowing the top off and sending it flying somewhere else in the park. They land on the ground and Annie struggles for a minute to find stability.)

Annie: What the hell did you just do? How'd you get my power?

Jasper: (walking towards Annie; in a British accent) Mimicry, my dear Annie. (Skyler's TK thrown off into a bench. She hits her head and lies on the ground.)

Annie: Skyler! (She runs over to her friend and checks for a pulse. She looks up after a couple seconds, anger clearly evident in her face. She gets ready to attack again, when Jasper cuts her off.)

Jasper: Unh, unh, unh. I wouldn't recommend doing that; I can copy any power thrown against me, so use at your own risk.

(Annie stops and looks at him quizzically.)

Annie: Why are you telling me this?

Jasper: Okay, here's the deal: you and your sisters meet me at this very spot **exactly **24 hours from now, not a second later.

Annie: And your endgame of this is…?

Jasper: (Shrugs.) All will be revealed. Till tomorrow, Halliwell. Oh, and do give my condolences to your friend. (Jasper smiles wickedly, causing Annie to slightly cringe. He geo leaps out and Annie looks back at Skyler, who starts to come to.)


	10. Chapter 10

[Setting: Halliwell Manor, Training Hall. Morning. Chris, Lacey and Penelope are gathered around Annie. Penelope has her arms folded and is wearing a gray pair of sweatpants and a white tank top, Lacey's wearing a tan leotard with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, Annie's wearing the same thing as Penelope, except with a brown tank top and black sweatpants and Chris is wearing a black button down with blue jeans.]

Lacey: He said what?

Annie: Meet him back at the park in 24 hours exactly, not a second later.

Penelope: Okay, and if we don't?

Annie: (Shrugs.) He didn't say. He just said "All will be revealed soon" and then teleported out.

Skyler: (walking through the door) Morning guys. (She's wearing a black short sleeve shirt and black training pants.)

Penelope: Skye, you okay? I heard what happened yesterday.

Skyler: Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking Pen. (to the others) So what's the plan for today?

Annie: First we're gonna train for a few hours…

Penelope: …Then we're gonna head out with mom and Chris…

Lacey: …And then we're gonna beat that rat bastard to a pulp.

Skyler: (Nods once.) Got it. So let's get started then.

Chris: (walking over to the side) Alright, Skyler, you take Penny. (to Lacey) And you have Annie. (to everyone) We'll switch off every half hour. (Chris claps his hands and a timer appears on the wall behind him. The girls suddenly rise up on pedestals until they're about 20 feet off the ground.) This is tournament mode; you each start at 100 and every time you fall off, you lose 5 points. The goal is to get your opponent's score lower than yours within the allotted 30 minutes and **absolutely** **no teleportation**; if you teleport at any time, you automatically lose all your points. If you're outside the platform you're standing on now, you'll feel a quick electric shock and you'll be lifted back up. When the time's up, you'll hear the buzzer and you'll be randomly moved onto another platform and to a new opponent. We have three hours for training today and we'll have a 15 minute break every hour, so that you can rest up. Take this time seriously because this guy's gonna be tough since he can copy our powers after we use them on him, so rely on your hand-to-hand combat and fully exploit your skills. Be watchful of your opponent's weaknesses, blind spots and strengths. Use those to get the upper hand. And now… (All girls get in a fighting stance and their faces turn serious.) begin!

(The clock starts and the girls all charge for their opponents.)

MONTAGE

(Lacey kicks Annie and attempts to back flip off her, when Annie pulls her back down and slams her into the platform.)

[Cut to Penelope, who shoots a bolt of lightning at Skyler. She dodges it and throws a ball of wind at Penelope, who gets hit and falls off the platform, screaming as she feels the shock and is lifted back up.]

Chris: Time! (The platforms switch and Lacey stands in front of Skyler, while Penelope's facing Annie.) Begin! (The clock resets and starts over again. Lacey throws a fireball at Skyler, which she throws back by creating a small tornado. Lacey ducks and squints her eyes, dragging Skyler down to the ground. She blows and a gust of wind starts to throw Lacey off the platform, when she waves her hands up and she lands back on it. The two girls charge for each other.)

[Cut to Penelope and Annie. Penelope's dodging all of Annie's attacks, until she's near the end of the platform. Penelope looks at Annie, who smirks and tries to side sweep her. She jumps up and kicks the whitelighter-witch in the back, sending her off the platform. She comes back on and they resume training. Time Lapse. Chris and the girls all walk out of the training hall, when they see Melinda walking up the stairs.]

Annie, Penelope & Lacey: Mom! (They all bum rush their mother, nearly sending them all toppling over.)

Melinda: (laughing) Hey guys. (Chris comes up to them.) Chris, I know what you're gonna say, but it's totally fine, he didn't hurt me at all.

Chris: Where'd you guys go?

Melinda: We'll talk about that later, but Penny's back! (She hugs her.) So what happened last night? Where'd you go?

Penelope: Well…

Start Flashback…

(Penelope's walking down the street, still fuming with anger. She's grumbling angrily to herself with her hands in her pockets, when she accidentally bumps into someone.)

Penelope: Oh my god, I'm so-. (She takes in the girl's outfit and notices she's wearing a wedding dress.) What are you doing?

Woman: I'm running away. I can't do it; what was I thinking getting married already? I'm nowhere near ready!

Penelope: (sitting them down) Hey, don't say that. (extending a hand) I'm Penelope, by the way.

Woman: (shaking Penelope's hand) Harper.

Penelope: Now what happened? Why are you thinking about leaving one of the most amazing days of your life?

Harper: Because I-I'm not ready. I mean, the cake's messed up, we didn't get the right minister, the venue's all wrong, and-.

Penelope: I get it, but what about the guy?

Harper: Daniel? He's great, I love him.

Penelope: But if you love him, then why are you running away from him?

Harper: I'm not running away from him… (She thinks for a moment.) Am I?

Penelope: Yes, you are. You may not realize it, but you're pulling a Stella Zinman; you're leaving your man at the altar and lord knows what kind of trauma that could give him.

Harper: I'm not trying to run away from him, I just don't think I'm ready to get married. This night's a disaster.

Penelope: (softly) Hey, hey, hey. I don't want any of that negativity; it's your wedding day, one of the best days of your life. You're officially going to be bound to the person you love, the person you're gonna hold, the person that's gonna comfort and swaddle you, who's gonna pick you up when you fall down, make you smile when you're sad, and the person you're going to grow old with; isn't that good? Don't you want that?

Harper: I do, but-.

Penelope: Stop right there. (Harper stops.) Do you love him with all your heart?

Harper: Yes.

Penelope: Do you want to marry him?

Harper: Yes, I do.

Penelope: Then why not do it already?

Harper: Because… because I'm scared.

Penelope: Scared? Scared of what?

Harper: I'm scared that something bad's gonna happen and it's gonna ruin the whole wedding.

Penelope: (Chuckles lightly.) You're just like my grandma; worried bad moments will follow the happy ones. But, back to you: you're scared that something bad's going to happen, but having the person you're going to marry run away on your wedding day is about as bad as it gets. (She puts her hand on Harper's knee.) Look, it's just your nerves, cold feet. Just remember all the things you've experienced together and let those feelings guide you. You love him and he loves you and, so long as you remember that, the marriage will last, trust me. You do trust me, right?

Harper: I trust you.

Penelope: Trust him, trust yourself and trust the love you two share; no matter what else happens, it's only you and him in that room, the only two people that matter.

Man: (O.S.) Harper!

(Harper and Penelope stand, seeing a man in a suit stop.)

Harper: (running up to him) Daniel!

Daniel: Where'd you go? We're waiting for you back at the church. The service can't start without you.

Harper: Well, I was about to run away, but (directing to Penelope) this girl helped me not to.

Penelope: (smiling) It's no problem.

Daniel: (to Penelope) Thank you. Do you want to sit in on the wedding? It's the least we can do.

Penelope: No, no, now go get married you crazy kids. (Harper and Daniel nod before turning around and walking away, hand in hand.)

Kama: (O.S.) Felt good, didn't it?

(Penelope turns around and sees Kama standing there in a dark gray trench coat.)

Penelope: Kama? What are you doing here?

Kama: Just watching my newest Cupid in action. So how'd it feel helping Harper out?

Penelope: It felt really, really good. Like there was a part of me that just needed to help. I can't explain it.

Kama: (knowingly) But I can: that's your inner Cupid coming out.

Penelope: (sitting down) But I don't get it, I always thought of Cupids as people that just told others who they could and couldn't love and that clearly wasn't it. I mean, I just helped her get married.

Kama: (sitting) You see Penny, Cupids don't tell people who they can and can't love… at least, not without a good reason. Sometimes, mortals may fall in love with a demon and it's the Cupid's job to bring them away from the demon and to someone else, so we're more of protectors. Demons can't love, so that's why we have to stop mortals from becoming too attached or else we have no idea what would happen.

Penelope: But why me? Why do I have to be a Cupid? Is it because I'm half Cupid or what?

Kama: Or what. Sure you're half Cupid, but that doesn't define you and who you are; you could be anything you want to be and that includes being a Cupid or not, but you were chosen because there's something in you that strives to help people with finding love. Phoebe did the same thing.

Penelope: She was an empath.

Kama: Cupids and Empaths are basically the same thing, except one's a type of angel and the other isn't. (She stands.) I'd love to teach you the history of the Cupids one time.

Penelope: (standing) Why not teach me now?

Kama: Because you still have a choice to make: to be or not to be a Cupid, that is your question. And when you make it, just call my name out, I'm always here. (Kama beams out, leaving Penelope alone.)

End Flashback…

Melinda: So you found your first charge naturally?

Penelope: I guess. Now what about you?

Melinda: Well, it was nothing special, we just went to dinner at The Waterfront, had drinks out on the boardwalk, I went back to his place-.

Chris: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Backtrack, you went to his place?

Melinda: Yes, I went to his apartment. And then I left in the morning and got back here, when The Source was starting to come out.

Lacey: In other words, the potion was a dud.

Annie: Whatever, we have a couple hours left till we have to meet Jasper.

Melinda: Who's Jasper and why are you meeting him?

(Everyone looks back from one to the other apprehensively.)

[Time Lapse.]

Melinda: A Tracer's after you guys?! Alright, here's the plan. (Melinda starts whispering to the group.)

[Setting: Playground, 7:35. Jasper's standing there. He checks his watch, before pacing around.]

Jasper: Where the hell are these girls? They're already 5 minutes late. (Suddenly, everyone teleports in their respective fashions and stand before Jasper.) Finally, you're here, I was getting worried you wouldn't show.

Lacey: No worries, we're here to please. Now let's get on with the show. (Lacey hurls a fireball at him and he flicks his hands, blowing it up. Lacey gets blown back, but she stands and charges for him. She tries to attack, but he dodges keeps on dodging her. He kicks her hard in the stomach and she falls in front of her family, coughing once. Penelope throws one hand towards him and lightning goes straight from her palm into his palm. He rolls his neck and has a crazed look in his eyes.)

Jasper: Mm… yummy! (He throws lightning at the five, who separate.)

Chris: Remember to rely on your skills, not your powers. (Skyler and Penelope charge for Jasper and he uses his super speed to dodge all their attacks. He then hits both of them in the chest and they fall to the ground next to Lacey. Annie charges next and Jasper does the same thing as before, instead, striking in the chest with lightning.)

Melinda & Chris: Annie! (They both run over to her side.)

Melinda: (to Chris) Heal her, I'm gonna deal with Jasper.

Lacey: How are you gonna catch him, he's too fast.

Melinda: Not anymore. (Melinda takes out a potion and throws it at Jasper's feet. He's absorbed in a ploom of smoke and Melinda charges for him. He smirks and tries to use his super speed to dodge her attacks, but instead gets hit. A look of utter shock on his face and he realizes that he can't use it anymore.)

Jasper: What the hell did you do, witch?

Melinda: I stripped you of your super speed, you bastard. (Jasper swings for her and she dodges it. They then get heavily engaged in hand-to-hand combat, it ending with Melinda putting him in the guillotine and flipping him onto the grass. He's struggling against it, trying to break free.)

Melinda: (to The Charmed Ones) The spell, now, do it now!

[Camera moves over to Lacey and Penelope, who are joined by Annie.]

The Charmed Ones: Right. (in unison) **_H_**_ear now the words_

_of the witches,_

**_T_**_he secrets we hid_

_in the night,_

**_T_**_he oldest of Gods_

_are invoked here,_

**_T_**_he great work of_

_magic is sought,_

**_I_**_n this night and in this hour..._

**_W_**_e call upon the_

_Ancient power!_

(Jasper screams out in agony as he's vanquished. Melinda finally relaxes and stands. She goes over to Annie and hugs her tightly, slightly choking her.)

Melinda: I'm so glad you're okay. (She pulls her even closer.)

Annie: Mom… (tapping Melinda quickly) Mom!

Melinda: (letting go) Right. (to the others) Come on guys, let's go. (They all teleport out.)

[Setting: Halliwell Manor, Living Room. They all teleport in and Annie collapses on the couch.]

Annie: Thank goodness that psycho Tracer is gone.

Penelope: You said it.

Melinda: So Penny, have you made a choice yet?

Penelope: (calling) Kama! (Kama beams down.) I've made my decision… I'm becoming a Cupid.

(Everyone cheers.)

Kama: Well then, here's your ring. (She waves her hand and a ring appears.) This is your Cupid Ring; it gives you a host of extra powers to use to help your charges.

Penelope: And what about Cupid Temple?

Kama: Another time, for now, just rest up. I'll be back tomorrow to show you the temple. (Kama beams out.)

Lacey: I'd hate to skip out on this lovely family moment we're having, but I gotta go; I promised I'd meet Joshua at the movies. (She walks towards the door.)

Melinda: I love you.

Lacey: (already exiting and saying over her shoulder) Love you too! (She exits and goes to the back of the house, black orbing out. She lands in the train station stairway and walks out, seeing Joshua standing outside the movie theater. She taps him and he turns around. She's beaming and rocking back and forth.) Hey Josh.

Joshua: Hey Lace, what's up?

(Lacey and Joshua walk into the theater together.)

Lacey: Well nothing lately, it's been crazy at my house for the past couple days.

Joshua: Really? What happened?

Lacey: Well, first, there's my boyfriend who refused to believe me (They give each other a look and Lacey continues.) and then there was a detective after me and my family.

Joshua: (nervously) A-a detective, you say? Do you know their name?

Lacey: His name was Detective Hill.

Joshua: Detective Hill?! (He starts getting more antsy and restless.)

Lacey: Yeah. Apparently he was-. (annoyed) Will you stop! (They stop.) Why'd we stop?

Joshua: (facing Lacey) I hired the P.I. to tell me what was going on; I'm sorry, I should've trusted you and now that I got that out my system we can go. (Feeling everything's resolved, Joshua starts to walk away, when Lacey pulls him back.)

Lacey: (screaming) How dare you send that psychopath after me?! He was a Tracer!

Joshua: A what?

Lacey: A WITCH HUNTER! And I'm a witch; I have magical powers, I can cast spells, the whole shabanger! (crying) I just can't believe that you'd do this to me. (Joshua tries to comfort her, when she pulls away.) Don't you dare touch me! We're done!

Joshua: Lace, what do you mean?

Lacey: (in tears) I mean this: _Secrets revealed, things seen_

_Erase Joshua Prince's memory__**.**_

(Joshua gets covered in a white twinkle of lights and Lacey cries on softly. After going over Joshua, the lights fade and he looks at Lacey, confused. He shakes his head clear and notices Lacey crying.)

Joshua: Hey Lace, you okay? Why are you crying? (She pulls away from him.) What the-?

Lacey: Joshua, we're done! It's over! (Lacey runs from the movie theater, black orbing while running. Joshua's chasing after her, yelling "Lacey, wait!" He gets outside and Lacey's gone. He stops and sits down on the bench, heartbreak showing in his face.)

[Setting: San Francisco, an apartment building. Lacey lands outside an apartment. She turns to the door and knocks on it. William answers and he sees her crying.]

William: (concerned) Hey, what's wrong?

Lacey: Joshua and I broke up and… and… I need you. (William puts his arm around her shoulders and walks her in, closing the door behind them.)

End Episode


End file.
